Weekly Dvar Torah: Miracles for Children

“By the Mitteler Rebbe, Lag BaOmer [the Hilula, day of passing, of the Rashbi, who asked before his passing, that this day should be celebrated with joy and not observed with sorrow] was one of the outstanding festivals… [Chassidim] witnessed many miracles, most were miracles connected to children. People waited for Lag BaOmer the entire year.” (Hayom Yom 18 Iyar).

The Rebbe refers to a story in the Midrash that explains the connection of Lag Baomer to children.

A couple from Tzidon were married for ten years, and they weren’t blessed to have children.

They came to the Rashbi (Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai) to arrange for a divorce (as was the custom then, that after ten years of marriage without children there was a divorce, so that the couple can move on with their lives and start new families with another spouse in order to have children).

The Rashbi told them, that since that when they got married they had a party and they feasted to celebrate the marriage, so too now, they should party and feast to celebrate the divorce.

A party was organized and the drinking was overflowing, and the wife made sure to get the husband drunk.

When the husband was in high spirits, he turned to his wife and said, look around to see whatever is worthwhile and precious in this house, take the most valuable item and take it with you to your father’s house as a goodbye present.

The wife heard this, she made sure that he was good and drunk to fall asleep, then she asked her servants to place him on a bed and carry him to her father’s house.

After midnight, when he started sobering up and he awoke, the husband was puzzled, and he asked his wife, where am I?

The wife replied, you are in my father’s house.

What am I doing in your father’s house?

Didn’t you tell me last night that I should pick the most precious item that I can find and take it with me to my father’s house? There is nothing more precious to me than you!

Realizing that the divorce has gone awry, they went back to the Rashbi to seek counsel as to what to do now.

When the Rashbi heard what happened, he took to prayer and they were blessed with children.

The Midrash concludes, this teaches us, that just like G-d remembers the barren and blesses them with children [like by Sarah, Rivkah and Rochel], so too, Tzadikim [the righteous like the Rashbi] can remember the barren and bless them with children.

Ever since, Lag Baomer became the holiday of miracles for children.

By the Rebbe people would come flocking from all over to be blessed with children, here is only one story of many thousands.

People lined up during Lag BaOmer to try to get the Rebbe’s attention whenever possible throughout the day, they came to his house, they came to 770, they came to the Mikveh, hoping and praying to get that blessing, and thousands were blessed.

One early morning, a young Shliach was by the Ohel, there saw there a Chosid who by his dress code was not a Lubavitcher, and he was standing with two boys and he told them to say the Bar-Mitzva Maamar (a Chasidic discourse learned by every Bar-Mitzva boy), after observation the Shliach thought to himself, I know this guy from somewhere.

They met outside in the nearby tent, and they engaged in conversation when the Chosid said, I remember you from 14 years ago.

I came to the Rebbe’s house on Lag BaOmer to ask for a blessing to have children, after a few years of marriage without children, and you, the Shliach, was a young man standing guard to try to keep order.

After blessing dozens who were waiting, the Rebbe finally got into his car, and I missed my chance, so when the door of the car was about to close, I jumped in with my foot to prevent the door from closing, and you were right there standing guard.

I forced my head into the Rebbe’s car and I asked for a blessing for children.

The Rebbe responded, a child needs a sibling with whom to play.

I was startled and didn’t know what to say.

You jumped in and told me to say Amen, and so I did.

Now I’m here with my twins 14 years later celebrating their Bar-Mitzva, they sure had each other to play with all their childhood, and you were there from the beginning.

Today is the day to take advantage, to ask these great Tzadikim to intervene on our behalf, to bless us with children, to have Nachas from Children, to easily attain all our needs associated with children, and we will be blessed.

Have a blessed miraculous Lag BaOmer Shabbos,
Gut Shabbos

Rabbi Yosef Katzman